War (Boston Bolts Hockey #3)

21. Ava

TWENTY-ONE

AVA

“Did you order the pizza?” Brayden stands in the kitchen, inhaling a bag of Doritos as I come down the stairs after putting Scarlett down.

I swipe the bag from his hand as I pass. “You won’t even be hungry by the time it’s delivered.” On my way to the pantry to put it away, I snag one for myself and pop it into my mouth.

Brayden chuckles in a way that sounds so much like Tyler. The sound is far too cocksure for such a young kid. It’s uncanny how alike they are despite not actually being related. “I’m a growing boy, Ava. Believe me, I’ll house an entire pizza myself.”

“Hope you ordered a few, then. I’m starving,” Hannah calls from the couch.

Brayden eyes her, probably thinking that such a petite woman could never eat that much. He’d be wrong. Despite how tiny she is, Hannah lives life large. Her laugh, her style, her drinking, and yes, her appetite.

The Bolts are playing tonight, so Hannah and Lennox came over to watch with us. Maria is seated beside Lennox, laughing at some over-the-top story my pink-haired friend is telling her. Josie is practicing her dance moves in front of the fireplace. She finally starts dance this weekend, and to say she’s excited would be an understatement .

Me? I’m more anxious to see Tyler. It’s been a long week, and we’ve got another to go, but already, I’m on pins and needles, wondering what happens next.

I’ve replayed our kiss a thousand times, along with every word spoken in those few short minutes we had together after our little wedding ceremony. Every breath, every swipe of his tongue, the way he stepped in closer, and closer again, as if he couldn’t stand leaving even a millimeter of space between us. The way he groaned when his lips made contact. The way he tasted, minty and mine. It makes no sense, that description, but he overloaded my senses, so it’s the best I can come up with.

My phone buzzes with a text, which I regret looking at the moment I see it.

Xander: Slut.

God, I’m so over his messages. I should block him. That would be the reasonable reaction. Then again, I wonder if that will just make him escalate and actually show up at Tyler’s house. That’s something I’d like to avoid. Besides, there is a degree to which I get that he’s hurt. He probably thinks I was cheating on him with Tyler. Why else would we get married just days after our breakup? At best, it had to seem like there were feelings between Tyler and me while Xander and I were dating. I obviously can’t tell him that our marriage is one of convenience. Even if I could, is that really still true? I’m not so sure.

The one thing I do know? The slew of berating texts doesn’t make me want to set aside a time to apologize.

I close out of the app and slide the phone back into my pocket, determined to focus on the good in my life. “Don’t worry, I over-ordered.”

“No, I over-ordered.” Lennox grins.

I laugh. “She’s right. She made a list, and I ordered them all, not realizing she was writing down choices for us to pick from.”

“Options,” Lennox sings. “Always good to have options.”

As the pregame commentary begins on screen, excitement flits through me. It’s almost game time. I’ve never enjoyed watching either of the Langfield teams nearly as much as I do now. The sight of my husband on the ice sends electricity through my body every time. Two nights ago, when one of the players from Seattle checked him into the boards, I screamed, and the whole room went silent.

I swipe my phone from the island so I can send Tyler a quick good-luck message. For a moment, I consider admitting that I can’t wait to see him, but since I don’t know where we stand, I decide against it. Once I’ve clicked on our text thread, I realize he sent me two while I was upstairs putting Scar to bed.

Tyler: My attorney has the paperwork ready. I’m going to send it to the printer in my office so you can read it over. If it looks good, I’ll fly home tomorrow so we can both sign it and get it filed immediately. Also, if you’re still up when I’m finished tonight, I’d like to talk to you. Just you. If that’s okay.

Tyler: I’m really excited to get home to you and the kids.

That admission makes warmth bloom in my chest.

Not just the kids. He’s anxious to see me too. Giddiness has me folding my lips in and tossing my head back to hold in a squeal. I may actually get to see him tomorrow. Then maybe we’ll see where we really stand.

Not wanting to forget the contract but knowing I want to focus on the game for now, I set a reminder in my phone so that I can look it over later on. Then I grab my glass of wine and head to the couches. It’s incredible, the sensation that washes over me at the thought that I’m spending a cozy night with some of my favorite people, cheering on the man I’m starting to think could be included in that group too.

“Good night, love bug.” I release my hold on Josie and nod at Maria, who’s standing behind her, waiting to take her up to bed. It’s nice having Maria around to help, though now that I’m here permanently, she’s started talking about going back to work at the hospital. I’ll miss her when she does, so I’m soaking up all the extra help now.

Brayden has already disappeared for the night. I can’t blame him. The guys’ loss put a damper on the evening.

“You’ll still be here tomorrow?” Josie asks, just like she does every night.

As much as it kills me to know she still doesn’t feel secure in her place here, I give her a reassuring smile, and like I’ve been telling her for weeks, I promise, “I’ll be the one waking you up with kisses on your nose, sweet girl.”

With a giggle, she nuzzles her nose against mine. It’s become our thing. Then she hugs all the girls before following Maria up to bed.

“That girl,” Hannah says as she watches her disappear.

“Tell me about it,” I mutter, heading for the kitchen to grab the bottle of wine. It’s almost empty, and it’s our second one. “I can’t wait until the adoption goes through and she doesn’t have to worry that she’ll be taken from her home.”

Lennox follows me, empty glass in hand and expression aghast. “They can do that?”

Hannah’s right behind her. “Until the judge approves the adoption.”

“Speaking of,” I say, remembering the contract in Tyler’s office. “Tyler said the attorney sent the paperwork. Let me grab it.”

Without waiting for a reply, I take my wineglass with me to the home office.

Against one wall of the masculine room is a row of dark wood bookshelves that are shockingly full. A large oak desk sits in front of the window with a black leather chair situated behind it. Then there’s the sports memorabilia. Everywhere. When I spot the printer, I make a beeline for it. My friends are here, so I’ll have to snoop the shelves later. I snag the stack of papers from the printer tray and settle in the desk chair, reading the top quickly as I shift, making sure I’ve got the right document .

Marriage Contract

Hmm. Not exactly what I was expecting.

I scan the page, my eyes narrowing further with each ridiculous word I read. “What the hell?”

The door swings open, and my friends appear. “What’s taking you so long?” Hannah asks. “Oh, shit. Look what War has been hiding in here. He’s a secret romance lover. I told you he was the hottest guy on the team.”

“Oh, let me see, let me see. Does he have any stalker romances?” Lennox darts to the shelves in a pink flash.

“Who knows, but he definitely has a death wish,” I grit out as blood rushes in my ears. “Listen to this. ‘Wife agrees that husband is the owner of her body. All orgasms, if any, will be given only with his consent. This includes self-induced pleasure and usage of toys.’”

Hannah snaps up straight. “What the fuck?”

“Exactly. But wait. It gets better.” I scan the document and pick out another clause that has me ready to rip the pages to shreds. “Wife will only speak when spoken to.”

“He didn’t,” Lennox hisses.

With a grunt, Hannah yanks the stack of papers from my hand. “Oh, he so did,” she mutters as she reads over the contract herself. “Wait, it says you’ll agree to be a good wife, and he’ll agree to be a good husband.”

“Finally, something for him to do,” Lennox tuts. “Although if he’s giving you orgasms, at least you’re getting something.”

“He’s not giving me orgasms,” I seethe. Tyler has another thing coming to him if he thinks this is how our marriage will go.

“Oh, this motherfucker.” Hannah tosses the papers onto the desk but keeps reading. She stumbles forward, the wine in her glass sloshing, and screeches, jabbing at the paper with one finger. “Look at the definitions section. That motherfucker.”

Tyler has irritated me for years, but this is the first time anyone has so overwhelmingly agreed with me. I pick up the paper she gestured to and find what has her fired up. Beside the term good wife is a description. A woman who knows her place . In parentheses, it reads for further instruction, see The Good Wife’s Guide from Housekeeping Monthly May 1955 .

Above me, Hannah laughs like a maniac. “Oh my god, this is outrageous. I can’t believe women actually lived by this at one time.”

“Have dinner ready,” Lennox reads aloud. “That’s not terrible. I don’t mind cooking for Aiden.”

Hannah glowers at her. “Every night?”

She grimaces. “No. He cooks almost as much as I do.”

“Read the next one,” Hannah demands.

“Prepare yourself,” Lennox reads, using an exaggeratedly proper tone. “Take fifteen minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair.” She throws her head back and cackles. “Okay, yeah. I see what you’re saying.”

“Strike up a conversation about one of his interests during dinner. After a long day at work, he may need a lift, and one of your duties is to provide it,” Hannah grits out, her eyes slits. “Clear clutter, light a fire, and encourage him to sit and relax. Minimize noise from the washer, dryer, or vacuum.” She huffs. “Which is it, Housekeeping Monthly , do you want a clean house or a quiet one?”

I peer over at Lennox, and when her lips twitch, I have to bite back a laugh. Because this is all so ridiculous. And my husband actually sent this to me to sign?

“Encourage the children to be quiet.” Hannah’s on a roll now. “Let him carry the conversation.” Each word is louder than the last. “Remember, the topics he chooses are more important than yours. Oh no, this motherfucker didn’t.”

Lennox snags the paper from the desktop in front of Hannah. “You’re going to have an aneurysm if you keep reading this.”

Hannah grunts and tips back the last of her wine. “Where’s the vodka?”

I frown. “You want a dirty martini?”

“No, I want to pour it all over his office and light the place on fire,” she seethes.

Lennox wraps her up in a hug and squeezes her tight. “Breathe, little pyro.” She hands me the page she took from Hannah. “Take those away from her before she loses it.”

“Me, lose it?” Hannah hisses, pointing at me. “We should be worried about this one. She married a psychopath.”

I snort. “She’s not wrong.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Her eyes are crazed now, scaring me a little.

Head tipped back against the office chair, I study the ceiling. I still can’t wrap my head around this damn thing, and yet I feel helpless to even react. I never intended to tell my best friends the truth about our marriage, but in this moment, I don’t know how else to explain it. “I married him so I could be Josie’s mother. So those kids would have a family. And even if he’s a terrible husband, he’s a good dad, and the kids deserve this family.” I blink back tears and press a hand over the ache that’s formed in my chest. “ I promised Josie .”

Hannah shrugs out of Lennox’s hold and paces to the opposite end of the room and back. “You’re going to stay married to this misogynist? And you’re going to sign this contract?”

I lift my shoulders in defeat. “What choice do I have?”

“Ava,” Lennox says softly. It’s such a pitiful sound.

I close my eyes and try to come to terms with all of this. “It’s fine. We don’t have what you and Aiden have, but these kids are my world. They deserve all the good, and without a wife, the chance of a judge approving Tyler’s adoption of Josie goes down considerably. It’s what’s best for her. I can do anything if I know it’ll help her.”

Hannah roars. She legit throws out her fists and roars at the ceiling. “Fine. You’ll follow his stupid rules. You’ll follow these rules so well he won’t know what hit him.”

“She will?” Lennox’s face scrunches up in confusion.

I feel the same way.

Hannah stares me down, her expression even more crazed. “Yes.” She steps forward and lets out a maniacal laugh. “He’ll never know what hit him.”